Mexican Burgers

A few weeks ago my coworker texted me and said "I don't know what kind they are, but want some hot peppers?" He shares a garden with his neighbor and they both can just take whatever they want from it. The neighbor apparently hadn't picked any of the peppers she planted yet and they were growing out of control.

So the next morning I was rewarded with about a dozen peppers. My first mission was to figure out what they were, so like any internet-using person, I googled "types of peppers" but I couldn't find anything. They kind of resembled a cubanelle pepper but they were too long and skinny. I knew they had some heat to them since I could smell it even through their skins. Finally I resorted to taking a picture and asking my cooking board ladies.

And I found that they were peppers at all. Instead they were Anaheim chiles. Which would explain why they didn't show up when I searched for "types of peppers", huh? :-) My second mission was to figure out what in the world to do with them. Since I learned they had similar heat to a jalapeno and I needed a jalapeno for a burger recipe I was whipping up, I figured they'd be a great substitution.

Directions:
1. Preheat grill or grill-pan to high heat.
2. In a medium-sized bowl combine the ground beef, queso fresco, chile, bread crumbs, garlic powder and cayenne pepper together. Form into 6 evenly sized patties and place in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red and green pepper and the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Set aside, but keep warm.
4. Cook the burgers on the grill for 6-7 minutes or until they reach your desired doneness. Lightly grill the burger buns.
5. Assemble the burger onto the bun, topped with the cooked peppers, and a teaspoon each of the jarred queso and salsa.

All I can say is sometimes I even shock myself. I had no idea how these burgers were going to turn out. I only had a very vague idea in my head of how to make them (mostly a burger with queso on it because I've been on a queso kick lately) but everything just fell into place. I think the spiciness on these burgers comes out just right and they're the kind of messy burger where napkins are required. Which is my kind of burger!